


just let me adore you

by alovelikeher



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Domestic Bliss, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Jealousy, Modern Era, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Seven Minutes In Heaven, arya has a librarian fantasy, otherwise known as gendry gets glasses
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-06
Updated: 2020-01-27
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:34:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 2,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22151854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alovelikeher/pseuds/alovelikeher
Summary: a collection of modern gendrya drabbles/ficlets featuring puppies, spin the bottle, sexy glasses, and hot pie.
Relationships: Arya Stark/Gendry Waters
Comments: 40
Kudos: 195





	1. i didn't cheat

**Author's Note:**

> these were all originally posted on my tumblr (which was lordgendrys when posted, but is now baratheonstarks) as part of a drabble challenge a few months ago but i thought i'd post them all in one place! they can all be set in the same universe or not, y'all do you. every chapter's title is the original prompt i received. 
> 
> enjoy x

Arya’s not sure who has the idea to play spin the bottle, but everyone agrees and she won’t be the one to chicken out.

When it gets to her turn, the game has somehow progressed to seven minutes in heaven. She curses as she spins the bottle, because if it goes anywhere near Aegon or –

– the bottle stops, pointing directly at Gendry.

Gendry. Gendry Waters. Her best friend Gendry. Gendry who doesn’t know she’s in love with him. Her Gendry. _Gendry_.

There’s a hint of a smile on his face, but he also looks like he’s expecting her to refuse. She wonders if that means he’ll refuse.

“Oh, please,” Jeyne Poole scoffs from behind her, sipping her wine cooler. “You obviously cheated.”

Arya bites. “How the hell do you cheat at spin the bottle?” 

Jeyne doesn’t respond, because Gendry’s already on his feet, holding his hand out to Arya and pulling her up.

She’s aware of the hollering and whistling, but she pays no attention; her eyes are stuck on Gendry’s and, Gods, she forgets how blue his eyes are but she can also never forget how blue his eyes are. 

It's Sansa who locks the door behind them with an encouraging wink. 

“Cheating at spin the bottle just to get me alone?” Gendry smirks.

“I didn’t cheat! It’s just… _Jeyne_.”

“I’ve told you before she’s jealous of you.” It’s true, he always tells her that. She always tells him he’s wrong - Jeyne’s pretty and boys like her and that’s all Jeyne cares about.

_You’re everything she’s not,_ he told her once. _Prettier too._

Arya knows that’s a lie, but she does have something - someone - Jeyne wants.

“Whatever, she’s just mad you’re not here with _her_ ,” Arya says, scrunching her face up. “She’s always flirting with you and you’re too stupid to see it.”

“I see it,” Gendry shrugs. “I just don’t care.”

That surprises her because Gendry never pays attention to girls flirting with him. She’s always just assumed he was blind to it. 

“Why not?” 

He closes the gap between them and suddenly, he’s pressing his lips to hers in a kiss; a bit hesitant, a bit nervous, only for a second. But it’s perfect. 

When he pulls back, she can still feel his breath against hers and they both grin.

“You don’t need to cheat at spin the bottle to get me,” he says again. “You’ve already got me.”

She playfully shoves his chest. “Shut up, _stupid_ , I said I didn’t che-”

He interrupts her with another kiss. She doesn’t mind.


	2. shut up and dance with me

“If your Mum and Dad knew you were here, Arya..”

For a second, she tried to imagine how Ned and Catelyn would react to their youngest daughter in some dirty little pub on the wrong side of town, chugging cheap vodka with the smell of tobacco clinging to her leather jacket.

“Well they don’t know I’m here,” Arya groaned, throwing back her head as an over exaggerated display of annoyance at his fussing. “So shut up and dance with me,” she shouted over the loud banging music, clutching her drink in one hand and extending her other hand out towards him.

When he didn’t immediately adhere to her request, she rolled her eyes and quickly grabbed his arm, pulling him forcibly towards her on the crowded dance floor.

It took a few minutes of watching her with that easy smile of his, and Arya silently wondered if he was going to spend the rest of the night just watching her, like he did sometimes, but he eventually humoured her. 

The more distracted he got by watching her and by the ear-shattering booming of the music, the more he lightened up a bit and started moving properly. This time, it was his go to hold out his hand and she quickly took it, laughing carelessly as she let him twirl her around a couple times.

She stumbled back slightly, not completely used to the heels on her feet or the alcohol in her system, but she barely moved an inch as his arms immediately went around her waist to steady her. 

“Maybe you should stick to the lighter stuff, m’lady,” he smirked, nodding his head down at the drink in her hand. 

“Maybe _you_ should mind your own business,” she narrowed her eyes, but still threw both her arms around his broad shoulders, practically trapping him against her. 

She felt his laugh vibrating against her neck as he held her in his arms, ignoring the loud banging of the music, and she knew there was nowhere that she would rather be.


	3. i'm not the jealous type

“This guy was all over Theon, and you know Robb wouldn’t even admit that he was jealous,” Arya sighed, taking a break from her long-winded retelling of the night’s events to bite into her toast.

“Maybe he just wasn’t jealous?” Gendry suggested with caution, causing Arya to glare at him. “Just because you’ve all decided he wants Theon back doesn’t mean it’s true.”

“Of course it’s true,” she scoffed, brushing her hair out of her face. She knew her own brother and she knew he and Theon were made for each other, they were just too blind to see it. “You know, secretly, Robb’s the jealous type.”

Gendry laughed, shaking his head as he took a sip of his coffee. “Runs in the family, I guess.”

Arya’s eyebrows shot up. “What is _that_ supposed tomean?”

“You’re the jealous type too, that’s what it means,” Gendry shrugged with a lazy smirk.

“No, I’m not!"

“Yes, you are.”

“I’m not the jealous type, I swear!”

Gendry scoffed. “What about that time before we got together, when you thought I was going on a date with Jeyne and almost popped a blood vessel? Or when that woman with the red hair at that festival was trying to talk to me?”

“The same woman who I’m still pretty sure was trying to recruit people for a cult?” Arya rolled her eyes. “That’s not jealousy, Gendry, that’s just me having better instincts than you.”

“Mm okay, if you say so,” he grinned, standing up from his chair and walking over to her, pressing a kiss against her forehead. “Not as if you have ever anything to be jealous of anyway.”

She smiled, tilting her head up to kiss him on the lips. “Should certainly hope not.”

“You’re the only one for me and you know it,” Gendry whispered against her lips.

Arya laughed. “Good. Now, I need you to help me convince Robb and Theon that _they’re_ the only ones for each other, too.”


	4. you're cute with glasses

“Do you think I should have gone with contacts?” he grumbled, fidgeting with the edge of the glasses as he leaned back in his chair.

He’d been putting off the appointment for weeks. But the second Arya caught wind (from Hot Pie, the little traitor) that he was still getting headaches whilst studying, she guilt tripped him into a trip to the doctor’s. 

Which led to an appointment with the eye doctor. Which led to glasses.

“You only need them for reading, Gendry,” Arya rolled her eyes from her spot on the bed.

“Mm, suppose so.”

“Besides, you’re cute with glasses,” Arya said. She stood up off the bed, quietly making her way over to where he sat at his desk. “Pretty damn sexy, actually.”

That certainly seemed to get his attention. His eyebrows raised as his eyes fell over her body, and she could see the smirk tugging at his lips. “Oh really?”

“Yep,” she said, deliberately making a show of popping the ‘p’ as she leaned against his desk, Gendry’s eyes predictably gazing over her legs. “Like a sexy librarian.”

His hands went to her waist and she smirked, climbing onto his lap and placing one leg each side of his hips so that she was straddling him. 

“A sexy librarian?” He laughed, hands creeping underneath the oversized t-shirt of his that she was wearing. “Is that your way of telling me you have a _librarian_ fantasy?"

Arya shrugged, her hands moving up to cup his face. “It’s my way of telling you you’d make a really sexy librarian.”

They both laughed, before she leaned down to kiss him. It didn’t take long for things to heat up, Arya’s shirt discarded to the floor within minutes and Gendry’s soon following. 

He tightened his grip on the backs of her legs as he stood up, lifting her onto the desk. She immediately wrapped her legs around his waist, linking her ankles and trapping her against him.

“I’m keeping the glasses on, aren’t I?” He breathed, moving his lips to her neck.

“Oh, you’re _definitely_ keeping the glasses on.”


	5. you watched 4 seasons today?

“Why are you still awake?” He asked, rubbing his eyes at the intruding light from the screen.

“I just started season 4,” she replied, not tearing her eyes away from the tv.

“Season 4?” Gendry frowned in confusion, before his mouth dropped. “You watched 4 seasons today?” 

Arya nodded. “It’s a really good show.”

“It’s four in the morning, Arya, you need to come to bed,” Gendry sighed, cautiously stepping closer to her. He was sure she’d been in the exact same position as she had been all day - curled up under a blanket, wearing his old t-shirt that was far too big on her, Nymeria protectively laying at her feet.

She did this a lot these days - find any reason to do anything other than sleep. Anything to keep herself awake, stop herself from closing her eyes. He knew that she’d had trouble sleeping - and she knew the things that filled her mind during her rest were far from dreams - but he couldn’t see how forcing herself to stay awake was going to help. 

“I’m fine, Gendry,” she sighed, sounding so deflated, so unlike her. There was nothing he could do, he couldn’t bring her family back, couldn’t put an end to the horror she was going through. It killed him. “I don’t want to go to bed.”

He knew she wasn’t ready to talk about it. Maybe she never would be. He also knew that if he pushed her, it would only make things worse.

So instead, he moved to sit down next to her on the sofa, putting an arm around her shoulders. He had no idea what he was watching - especially missing four seasons of backstory.

It was an hour later as the credits rolled on the last episode, as she laid with her head on his lap, his fingers gently running through her messy hair, that he’d realised she’d finally fallen asleep. 

Knowing that falling asleep was only half the fight, knowing how many times he’d had to shake her awake or hold her as she realised it was just another nightmare, he didn’t move from the sofa for the rest of the night. Or the morning, until she woke up with a jolt at 10 o’clock.

Then, once she was awake and settled, he only moved to make her favourite pancakes. 

“I’m sorry,” she’d sighed, so quietly he’d barely heard it.

“You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for,” he stroked the back of her hand, leaning over to gently kiss her temple. “Now are we starting season five or what?”

She smiled and he knew she would talk to him eventually. She had all the time in the world.


	6. this house isn't even haunted

“Don’t be a baby, this house isn’t even haunted,” Arya spoke confidently, almost in boredom, switching on her phone’s torch and holding it up in front of her.

“The story is called The Ghost of Harrenhal, Arry,” Hot Pie whispered, as if he was scared the damn ghosts would overhear him. “They say it used to be a castle, way back in the olden days, and the guards would torture people just for fun.”

Gendry sighed from his place behind them. Why he let her drag him into this every year was beyond him. There was no way in all Seven Hells he’d be here if he wasn’t so in love with her.

Every single October, a week before Halloween because the actual night of October 31st had just become too over commercialized for Arya - or more importantly, she knew it would freak out Hot Pie more if they were alone.

“Go home if you’re scared.”

“I’m not scared,” Hot Pie said, very clearly scared. “Just sayin’ the story, that’s all.”

“The story is that dragons melted the castle down and sometimes you can still smell the dead bodies,” Arya said matter of factly, turning around to face the two boys with a grin on her face. “Sometimes, dead in the middle of the night, you can still hear the prisoners crying.”

She could be terrifying when she wanted to be, he’d give her that. She could make a career out of it.

“I can’t smell nothing,” Hot Pie said, though it sounded more to Gendry like he was trying to convince himself. “Or hear nothing.”

She led them up the staircase, each step creaking painfully as they climbed them. As soon as they reached the top step, Arya let out a cry (which Gendry instantly recognised as exaggerated) as something ran past their feet.

“It was just a mouse, Hot Pie,” Gendry rushed to say.

“It wasn’t a mouse, it was a rat! It was massive. You know what the story says about the rats!” Hot Pie was already half way down the stairs before he’d finished his sentence.

“Did I got too far again?” Arya asked, biting her lip. 

“Probably not as far as the time you took us to an abandoned inn and told him they used to cook people into pies.”

“Oh, seriously? That wasn’t even scary.”

Gendry shook his head, reaching for Arya’s hand. “Come on, before he convinces himself he’s seen a couple of knights havin' a battle in the garden.”


	7. you didn't have to marry me, you know

“You can’t keep doing this,” Gendry huffed, running his hands over his face. “It’s crazy. I’ve married a crazy person.”

“You didn’t have to marry me, you know.”

“Sorry, I don’t remember standing before the Gods and vowing to adopt an infinite number of dogs.”

Arya glared at him, though a whine from one of the little furry bundles in her arms quickly drew her attention away so she could coo at them. 

“It’s not an infinite number,” she said, not looking back up at him as both the puppies nuzzled into her. “It’s just two.”

“Two _more_ ,” he quickly added. “Two more dogs, Arya.”

She huffed, securing both the puppies under her arms before standing to her feet. “But look how cute and tiny they are.” 

“Do huskies stay cute and tiny, do they?” He raised an eyebrow. As if on cue, there was a bark behind him and Nymeria was soon by his side - already up to Gendry’s knee. “Because she doesn’t seem to be stopping any bloody time soon.”

Arya rolled her eyes. “She needs a pack. It’s only fair.”

Gendry pinched the bridge of his nose, watching her coo to the dogs as she placed them down on the floor. Both of them immediately ran over to Nymeria - earning Gendry a told you so look from his wife.

Knowing there was no way he was winning this argument - and, in all fairness to Arya, the latest additions to their pack were pretty damn gorgeous - Gendry sighed. “Can you at least just tell me next time? Preferably before you bring them home?”

Arya shrugged. “Sure.” She smiled, stepping over to Gendry and pressing a chaste kiss to his lips. “Thank you.”

It was only as she bent down to lay on the floor amongst the three dogs, that he realised he’d just given her the go ahead for there to be a next time. 

Still, from the way she grinned and laughed and her face lit up with joy around the animals that reminded her so much of home, they both knew she could bring as many of them back as she wanted. It made her happy - and wanting nothing more than to make her happy forever was _exactly_ why he married her.


End file.
